tS76 



(CLEANINGS m BEE CULTURE. 



15)7 



[lu this department I beg to be K,lloxved to lay aside the 

 ■editorial "we," have ii friendly chat aiid feel "at koine."] 



CHAPTER XXT. 



FEW days ago we had a uumijer of sec- 

 J^ tion boEes full of honey iu the store, and 

 straightway the flics congregated abont them in 

 i^uchnumbers as to almost disgust us with — 

 ilies if not comb houey. After they were hast- 

 ily piled into a glass show case — it was the 

 .■section cases we were thinking of, but if 

 ^ve recollect aright a good many flies went iu 

 along with them, — we got to thinking about 

 tlies and not knowing any better waj to vent 

 <!ur spite at them, we concluded to write them 

 up i.'i our journal. We hope they will careful- 

 ly ponder the subject, and go oil' in the woods 

 <;r gon'iev.'here else while there is j^et a chance 

 to retreat quietly. 



Flies are shockingly disrcgardful of ail ef- 

 forts at neatness and cleanliness and there is 

 liothing in the world that makes us homesick 

 i>o quickly as to find flies in undisturbed pos- 

 .stsiiou of every thing and every body about 

 The premises. Dust is bad enough but that 

 can be brushed off, bat "fly specks" — every 

 time we have a trial of our patience in clean- 

 ing up any piece of work, we mentally make 

 huge resolves that hereafter they shall be 

 "•■ftnced out," jast as we used to do when the 

 poultrj- invaded our apiary. Besides cur other 

 reasons there is a bald spot on the top of our 

 head, and the flies apparently having discov- 

 <ered that it annoys us very much indeed, per- 

 i^ist in making it a promenade ground. Do 

 you know v/hat a comfort it is to have all the 

 doors and windows open durijig this sultrj^ 

 v,nather, and still have every single Hy and 

 rnusquito outside? Very likely you made the 

 <:iscovery a long while ago, but trusting that 

 it may give some one a hint, we will tell you 

 how Ave have our home arrangeel. la place of 

 the lower sash to the windows we have simi- 

 lar ones covered with tinned wire cloth, such 

 &s is used for queen cages ; musquito bar or 

 tarletau will answer, but the wire cloth is not 

 ■easily injured, and if tinned, will not rust 

 though drenched with rain. Should the 

 weatl;er turn very cool, the usual sash cau be 

 replaced easily. Our outside doors are simi- 

 larly protected by a light door frame that is 

 hinged to swing outward. So far all very 

 well, but the children and papa too would for- 

 get and leave the doors open, and in would 

 come a drove of flies that it required much 

 time and trouble to banish. As this state of 

 atlairs was very conducive to unpleasant 

 thoughts, if not tinkiud words, mamma linally 

 devised an arrangement whereby the light 

 doers would close themselves ; and that part 

 of the domestic machinery now works "lovely," 

 if we may use the expression. The closing 

 arrangement is simply a cord running through 

 ti ring on the door post, and a small lump of 

 lead is the weight that draws the door shut. 

 The leaden weight may be made ornamental 

 by making it the centre of 311 ordinary tassel. 



Flie.s are not the only little annoyances iu 

 this world, and perhaps if we look at them in 

 the right way these little annoyances are ben- 

 eficial after all, in a certain wa5'. I have 

 sometimes wondered if it were not those who 

 have an unusual amount of brain work to do, 

 that feel these annoyances most. 1 am much 

 iu the habit of looking forward and planning 

 my work when much is to be done, that I may 

 do a great part of it automatically as it were, 

 and at such times any little hindrance, such 

 as a door that sticks, or a gate that is trouble- 

 some to fasten, uses up energy and worries 

 more than the real work" that is to be perform- 

 ed. One may get along smoothly and easily 

 by having only a very Tittle to do, and taking 

 plenty of^'time' to do that little; but iu that 

 case they must be satisfied with small results, 

 and if they are working for a salary, vrith but 

 a small salary. We all have just about so 

 much energy to expend daily, and if we get 

 worried an"d lidgetty, perhaps we shall waste 

 a great part of that. In view of this, it is of 

 vel-y great importance that these little points 

 be looked after. 



In the first place it behooves us to com- 

 mence our duties with a good temper, and 

 with a resolve to take such annoyances as 

 may come up, heroically, if that is the proper 

 word, and to be courageous, patient and 

 strong ; and then to coolly decide how many 

 of these things must be borne, and which ones 

 may be remedied. It were well when doing 

 this to be very careful that we have all chari- 

 ity, and make all allowance possible for the 

 delinquencies of those about us. As an illus- 

 tration; suppose a spring is broken in the 

 lock to your door, and you are too busy to see 

 to it. You hastily direct your young hopeful 

 of 12 or 14 to get a screw driver, take oil' tht- 

 lock, and carrV it to the smith who repairs 

 suck things. At dinner time the door is kept 

 shut by a^^piece of furniture, as usual, to the 

 annoyance of all, and you ask why the lock 

 has not been fixed. Your boy has been off at, 

 play and has never thought of it. At supper 

 time the door is iu the sam^e fix, and you are 

 told the screw driver is lost. To make sure, 

 you "scratch round" and Und it just where 

 you left it, out by the bee-hives ; you finally 

 proceed to take off the lock, but the screws 

 are rusted in, and won't turn. Patience is a 

 manly virtue, and you mildy ask for the sew- 

 ing machine oil can. When it comes you find 

 that every drop has been squeezed out of it, 

 and, hurried as you are, there is no other way 

 than to proceed 'quietly and fill the can from a 

 bottle. You start carefully, but soon a little 

 goes over on the side of the can, it v.ill have 

 to be wiped off, that is all ; but when it goes 

 over the other side, and than clear over on the 

 carpet as the cau gets full suddenly, you al 

 most begin to wish you had never tnought 01' 

 touching door locks or oil cans either. With 

 the aid of a newspaper the oil is sopped up, 

 your hands arc washed, ar.d now for the stub- 

 born screws. Althotigh the screw driver does 

 tttrn round in the handle, and finally drops 

 out entirely, yen finally get the lock off; and 

 next day it is sent for the new spring. When 

 once more in place, the spring is found much 

 weaker than the old one and after about two 

 days service, breaks. Off goes the lock again 



